Principal Software Engineer

Mastercard•Atlanta, GA

20h

About The Position

Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide. Together with our customers, we’re helping build a sustainable economy where everyone can prosper. We support a wide range of digital payments choices, making transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. Our technology and innovation, partnerships and networks combine to deliver a unique set of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential. We are seeking a Principal Engineer who is a deeply hands-on full-stack engineer and architect. This role owns the architecture, design, and implementation of large-scale platforms while remaining actively involved in coding and day-to-day technical execution. The ideal candidate has a strong track record building distributed system, modernizing legacy platforms, and delivering GenAI-enabled capabilities in complex enterprise environments.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
Expert-level foundation in algorithms, data structures, distributed systems, and core computer science principles.
13+ years of hands-on experience building large-scale systems using Java, the Spring Framework, REST-based services, and batch processing frameworks such as Spring Batch.
Strong experience designing and integrating GenAI solutions, including LLM orchestration, prompt design, embeddings, vector databases, retrieval-augmented generation, and evaluation techniques.
Experience building GenAI solutions using enterprise or cloud platforms such as Azure OpenAI or equivalent managed LLM platforms.
5+ years of data engineering experience, including advanced Oracle SQL and PL/SQL, data modeling, and performance tuning.
Strong experience working in Agile environments using frameworks such as SAFe and Scrum, with hands-on use of TDD and BDD practices.
Deep DevOps ownership, including CI/CD pipelines, observability, automation, and production support for distributed systems.
Strong Linux or UNIX experience with confidence operating large-scale systems in production environments.
Proven experience designing scalable, fault-tolerant, and highly resilient platforms.
Experience modernizing monolithic systems using patterns such as strangulation and anti-corruption layers.
Deep understanding of modern software design principles, including SOLID, DRY, single responsibility, and clean architecture.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to a wide audience.

Nice To Haves

Experience building cloud-native systems using platforms such as PCF, OpenShift, Azure, or similar environments is a plus.

Responsibilities

Design, build, and deliver secure, production-grade software using clean, testable, and maintainable code.
Own end-to-end architecture across full-stack systems, including service boundaries, APIs, data models, resiliency, security, and runtime behavior.
Design, implement, and operationalize GenAI-powered solutions, including LLM-based services, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines, embeddings, vector stores, and agent workflows.
Prototype, evaluate, and introduce new technologies to modernize existing platforms and enable new product capabilities.
Define and drive technical roadmaps focused on scalability, reliability, performance, security, and cost optimization, including GenAI-specific latency and cost considerations.
Contribute across the full software development lifecycle, including architecture, design, development, code reviews, testing, documentation, deployment, and production support.
Own and operate production systems with deep insight into dependencies, failure modes, operational risks, and performance characteristics.
Establish and enforce secure engineering and responsible AI practices, including privacy, compliance, governance, and risk controls.
Mentor engineers and influence technical direction through architecture reviews, design discussions, and code reviews.
Partner closely with product, data, security, and platform teams across a global organization to deliver cohesive end-to-end solutions.
Act as a technology evangelist through internal technical forums, external speaking opportunities, and thought leadership.

Benefits

insurance (including medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, disability, life insurance)
flexible spending account
health savings account
paid leaves (including 16 weeks of new parent leave and up to 20 days of bereavement leave)
80 hours of Paid Sick and Safe Time
25 days of vacation time
5 personal days, pro-rated based on date of hire
10 annual paid U.S. observed holidays
401k with a best-in-class company match
deferred compensation for eligible roles
fitness reimbursement or on-site fitness facilities
eligibility for tuition reimbursement